Keeping them at home
New Colorado coach Dan Hawkins established one major goal when he became the coach of the Buffaloes – keep the top talent at home.
That's one thing that escaped Gary Barnett in his final years in Boulder, and that's a major thing that Hawkins wants to change. That's why keeping guys like Ryan Miller and Drew Davis – the top two guys in the Rivals.com Colorado top 20 – in state will be huge priorities.
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Miller is about as big of a recruit as it gets for Hawkins. It should be a real test of his new staff to see if they can keep the nation's No. 2 offensive tackle at home and away from other national powers like Miami, Notre Dame and Southern Cal.
Word is that Hawkins is doing about everything he can to prove that Miller's best fit would be in Boulder and there's no question CU has a great shot to pull in the commitment in this one, but when you battle Larry Coker, Pete Carroll and Charlie Weis you know you're in for a dogfight.
With Davis, things appear to be a little more open at this early stage. The nation's No. 21 receiver and No. 2 player overall in Colorado is still keeping a long list with teams like Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State, USC, Washington and Washington State still on it.
Davis is an electric receiver that is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He blew up at the Los Angeles NIKE Training Camp and was easily one of the top overall receivers at any of the camps.
Hawkins does have two commitments at this point from top 20 in-state targets.
At No. 6 on the list is CU commitment Anthony Perkins of Northglenn. The 5-foot-10, 177-pounder committed back. He's a true athlete playing the quarterback position in high school but likely moving to either safety or cornerback in college.
"I was recruited as an athlete so if I get up there and they need me somewhere else, then I'll play there," he said.
Shawn Daniels is the other Buff commitment in the top 20. The 6-4, 270-pounder is ranked as the No. 9 player overall. He had offers from Colorado State, Wyoming and Boise State before he committed to the Buffs. He called the CU offer a dream one and it was something he couldn't turn down.
Daniels is from Denver's Mullen High School and from looking at the top 20, Mullen ought to be awfully tough to beat this season. Five of the top 20 players in the state are from Mullen, including two players in the top five – tight end Steve Watson at No. 3 and receiver Devin Aguilar at No. 5.